More than 1,100 local government leaders from across Australia gathered in Canberra from 23–25 June for the 32nd National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA), convened by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).
Paul Girrawah House and Selina Walker, representatives of the Ngambri and Ngunnawal peoples delivered the Welcome to Country. Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, formally opened the Assembly.
A key focus of this year’s NGA was the sector’s united advocacy for fairer Financial Assistance Grants, including support for an emergency motion and letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives calling on the Australian Parliament to restore Financial Assistance Grants to one per cent of federal taxation revenue annually. This strong call was supported by the Australian Services Union and United Services Union – who represent the many of local government employees across the country.
Delegates reinforced that sustainable, untied federal funding is essential if councils are to continue delivering the infrastructure, services and local solutions their communities need.
Delegates heard from a range of federal, territory and parliamentary leaders across the Assembly, including the Honourable Catherine King MP, the Honourable Kristy McBain MP, the Honourable Claire O’Neil MP, the Honourable Julian Hill MP, Mr Jamie Chaffey MP, Senator Andrew Bragg, Senator the Honourable Matt Canavan, and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA.
This year’s Assembly was held under the theme ‘Stronger Together: Resilient. Productive. United’, reflecting the sector’s shared commitment to working with all levels of government to deliver better outcomes for local communities.
The 2026 program featured both the long-running Regional Forum and the inaugural Urban Forum, recognising the distinct opportunities and challenges facing regional and metropolitan Australia.
The Regional Forum focused on the conditions needed for thriving regional communities, including infrastructure, workforce, housing, emergency management and service delivery.
The inaugural Urban Forum highlighted the scale and complexity of challenges facing Australia’s cities, including population growth, liveability, productivity, transport, housing and community infrastructure.
Together, these discussions reinforced that effective national policy must reflect local context, and that no single approach will meet the needs of every community.
Across the Assembly, delegates engaged in a program focused on the major pressures shaping councils and communities. Key themes included local government financial sustainability, roads and enabling infrastructure, emergency management, workforce and skills, climate resilience, disability inclusion and a focus on community cohesion.
Councils from across Australia also shared practical case studies and on-the-ground experience, highlighting the local innovation, service delivery pressures and community-led solutions that are shaping policy and practice across the sector.
Jason Clarke’s Listen and Action workshop challenged delegates to move from discussion to delivery, offering practical tools to sharpen ideas, build consensus and turn community insight into tangible action.
The Assembly was rounded out with a final session providing delegates with useful tools and insights, including how to manage rate payments, secure grants, strengthen the management of asbestos, and support respectful engagement in an increasingly online world.
The Assembly also launched three important sector resources to support councils’ advocacy, planning and delivery. ALGA’s 2026 National State of the Assets Report provided an evidence-based picture of the condition, performance and renewal challenge of local government infrastructure. The 2025 Australian Local Government Workforce Skills and Capability Survey offered valuable insights into the sector’s workforce and future capability needs, while ALGA’s new Disability Inclusion Guide for Councils, developed with support from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, was launched as a practical online resource to help councils embed inclusion across planning, infrastructure, services, employment and community engagement.
Motions and Assembly Outcomes
As in previous years, motions from councils across Australia formed a central part of the Assembly with 243 motions put forward this year, demonstrating the strength of councils’ grassroots advocacy and the importance of bringing local priorities directly to Canberra.
Motions passed by the NGA will be referred to relevant Ministers for response and will help inform ALGA’s national advocacy and policy priorities in the year ahead.
The 2026 NGA confirmed that local government remains essential to Australia’s resilience, productivity and social cohesion. Stronger together, local governments will continue to advocate for sustainable funding, stronger policy partnerships and the recognition needed to build stronger communities across Australia.
